Direct electrical heating systems are used in pipelines carrying petrochemicals to inhibit the formation of hydrates in the pipeline that could clog a pipeline, leading to various complications. Direct electrical heating systems are complex electrical systems that require costly computation in order to determine parameters that will enable a sufficient heat to be delivered to a given pipeline. Such parameters include an ac current to be generated through the direct electrical heating system to provide sufficient heat. Conventional design approaches leverage known computational and/or modeling applications, but are also costly in terms of man hours in setting up the requisite calculations. Further, conventional approaches tend to not search for enhanced adjustments to inputs to the calculation (like a proposed ac current) to reduce the number of calculations required to converge on a solution.